20 September 2013
Japan is well known for its advancements in technology and intelligent transport systems with a constant aim to increase driver and passenger safety.
The country is participating in a number of projects and activities on topics related to connected vehicles in cooperation with the EU (such as ECOSTAND and Compass4D), whilst a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed by the European Commission (DG Information Society and Media) and the Road Bureau (Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) in June 2011.
Amongst the nationwide companies, FUJITSU TEN is one of Japan’s flagship companies in the deployment of ITS, with a specific policy directed at “ensuring safety, creating a comfortable mobile space and protecting the global environment”.
This month we take a closer look into FUJITSU TEN’s activities in this field. I had the pleasure of interviewing Akihiro Fujiwara (Vice President of the Technical Centre Nuremberg, FUJITSU TEN Europe GmbH) and Yoshinari Shiraishi (Executive Chief Engineer, FUJITSU TEN LIMITED).
This interview is particularly significant for us here at ERTICO as FUJITSU TEN Europe GmbH recently became a Partner within ERTICO, joining our broad list of industry suppliers.
Also, in 2012, FUJITSU TEN Europe GmbH together with digital security company, GEMALTO, and ERTICO, launched the first facility for the European emergency number, eCall, testing in Japan. This represents a further step to support global car makers in complying with the new EU emergency response.
E: A few months ago you joined the ERTICO Partnership. Can you tell us why it was important for FUJITSU TEN to join, what benefits do you see in this partnership and what are the European trends in terms of ITS that interest you the most?
AF: In the automotive industry, the connected car will continue to develop. In response to these changes and advancements, FUJITSU TEN is focusing on providing technologies that encompass ITS support for driving safety, advanced car telematics systems and development of more comfort for our customers.
We are proud to enlarge our expertise by working as an ERTICO Partner and to contribute to a better ITS society in Europe. Finally we expect to boost cooperative systems for Vehicle to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communication.
E: What are Fujitsu TEN’s current activities in the intelligent transport field?
AF: FUJITSU TEN is developing and supplying most of the automotive electronic parts and systems in the fields of monitoring, sensing, safety & security and In-Vehicle Infotainment to a number of vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, as well as working as a member of official adviser group of these communities.
Recently we have introduced the environmental mid-to long-term vision based on the FUJITSU Group’s vision “Green Policy 2020”. We will promote green mobility by developing products such as electronic control units (ECUs) for hybrid and electronic vehicles’ (HV/EV).
E: In December 2012 FUJITSU TEN established the first platform for eCall experimentation in Japan. Why did you use a European initiative?
YS: For us it was vital to launch an initiative such as eCall in Europe, where safety is always more central and advanced than the rest of the world. The purpose of launching the platform for experimentation was to become a trusted hub for European initiatives. It aimed to contribute to the fast development of the “advanced safety system” by state-of-the-art technology for “lives saved” and to our saying “inochi-nokizuna”.
E: What interests you the most about the emergency call system at a technological and social level?
YS: There are several technologies for secure activation and connection to PSAPs (public-safety answering point) in the event of an incident, which could reduce fatalities on the roads. The crossborder interoperability testing activity is also unique and it’s important to us to keep product functionality and quality at a high level.
We are also focusing on the European eCall Implementation Platform (EeIP) task force RETRO with the vision of ensuring that eCall is widely adopted across Europe in the existing vehicle fleet; we think that the aftermarket device will accelerate the eCall benefit to a wider society.
E: This October Tokyo will host the 20th ITS World Congress of which Fujitsu TEN is a sponsor, can you give us some idea as to what will be presented from your side?
YS: FUJITSU TEN continues to promote the “vehicle-ICT business” in the three fields of “comfort and convenience”, “safety and security” and “environment”.
At the FUJITSU TEN booth, we will
demonstrate four main scenarios:
• Connected Services on Telematics Control Unit with Multi Angle Vision
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
• Millimetre-wave Radar Sensor
• HTML5 based In-Vehicle Infotainment System
Lastly, we will introduce the HeERO II project and give an update on the cooperation with Luxembourg.
For any queries on the article, contact Carla Coppola at c.coppola@mail.ertico.com
